Interdisciplinary
Studies:Concentration
in International Studies (INTS)

Assistant
Professor Cornett (Director)

The
International Studies program gives undergraduate students an opportunity to
explore the challenges and opportunities facing the contemporary world from
different disciplinary perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach is
designed to provide students with the broader range of ideas and skills
necessary to analyze and respond to the diverse mix of cultural, economic, and
political forces that shape the global community.

The
program is valuable for students with career aspirations in a number of fields,
including law, journalism, business, public service, and teaching.It is of particular value to people
interested in global inter-governmental agencies and non-governmental
organizations such as the United Nations and private religious and humanitarian
service organizations.

The
concentration in International Studies affords students an opportunity to gain
an interdisciplinary understanding of some of the most important trends and
forces which cut across national borders and regional boundaries.In addition to classroom work, students must
engage in participatory activities and are strongly urged to study abroad.

II.Focus
on a specific area of international affairs, as well as international
experience, are critical components of the International Studies concentration.
To help students gain a broader understanding of the contemporary world, they
must complete 21 additional hours, with 15 hours from A., and 6 hours from B.

A. Areas
of Emphasis: Students are expected to pursue a focused plan of study in
international affairs by choosing at least 15 hours from the following areas of
emphasis.At least 9 of the 15 hours
must be chosen from a single emphasis area. Some courses may have prerequisites
that are not part of the International Studies major. Up to six hours of
appropriate courses may be substituted with the permission of the International
Studies director.

B.International
experience represents a critical component of international studies.

Thus
students must select one of the following options for six credit hours:

1.6
hours earned in a UNCA-approved study abroad experience. These credits must be earned
in courses appropriate to the theme of International Studies and must be
approved by the INTS director.

2. 6 credit hours from INTS 365

3.6
hours of modern foreign language study at the 300‑level or above.

III.
Other concentration requirements--Major
competency is demonstrated through successful completion of INTS 499.Oral competency is demonstrated through
successful completion of INTS 495.Computer competency is demonstrated through successful completion of
INTS 361.

Declaration
of Major in Interdisciplinary Studies: Concentration in International Studies

Declaring a major in Interdisciplinary Studies with a
concentration in International Studies requires the student to complete a
Declaration of Major Form that must be signed by the director. Before declaring
a major, a student must satisfy the LANG 120 requirement.

Minor in International Studies

The minor
in International Studies allows students to pursue a self-designed
interdisciplinary and comparative study of world affairs.The minor gives students an opportunity to
enhance and enrich their major field of study by incorporating a global and
interdisciplinary perspective into their intellectual repertoire.

Students
majoring in any discipline may choose a minor in International Studies with the
consent of the Director of International Studies.Students pursuing the minor may select from a
variety of courses and disciplines including modern foreign languages,
humanities, the arts, and the natural and social sciences with substantial
modern international content and approved by the Director of International
Studies.Individual programs of study
require coordinated planning between each student=s academic
advisor and the Director of International Studies.

Students
participating in UNCA-approved study-abroad programs may apply appropriate
overseas study credits to the minor with the approval of the Director of
International Studies.The study abroad
program must be incorporated into the approved study plan prior to the student=s
participation.

Choosing
an Area of Emphasis

Students choosing to minor in
International Studies determine a concentration perspective through
consultations with their department advisor and the Director of International
Studies. The selected concentration provides a theme around which a program
that best suits the student’s intellectual and career objectives is developed.
A study abroad experience is recommended, but not required, for the minor.

Requirements

Students seeking a minor in International
Studies must take 21 semester hours which satisfy the requirements outlined
below. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade-point average in
the International Studies courses listed in their program.

Specific requirements for the International
Studies minor include the following:

1.Six of the required 21 hours must come from
modern foreign language study beyond the 100-level.

2. Courses must be taken from at least four
disciplines, as approved by the program director, and include an introductory
course and a capstone course. The introductory course requirement for the
international studies minor may be met by ANTH 100, HIST 152 or POLS 281. The
senior capstone requirement for the international studies minor can be met by a
400-level course approved by the program director. Nine of the required hours
must be taken at the 300 level or higher. No more than 6 hours from the
student’s major may be applied toward the completion of the requirements for an
International Studies minor.

3. Courses included in a student’s program must
include significant international content relating to the modern era. The
director of international studies, in consultation with the student’s academic
advisor, will determine suitable courses.

361Contemporary Issues in World Affairs
(1-2)

A seminar
facilitating discussion of current international issues.Students are required to attend public
presentations or activities addressing contemporary world affairs, pursue
additional independent research on selected topics, followed by directed
discussions in a seminar setting. May be repeated for a total of 4 hours
credit. Spring and Fall.

362 Participatory
Learning in World Affairs (1-2)

Students
gain an intimate understanding of international and global issues and
institutions through simulations and competitions such as Model United Nations
and Moot International Court of Justice.May be repeated for a total of 4 hours credit.See International Studies director.

365 International
Experiential Learning Project (3-6)

Students
participate in a service learning project or internship either overseas or with
an approved international organization in the US.An IP grade may be awarded at discretion of
instructor. May be repeated for a total of 6 hours credit.
Prerequisite: permission of International Studies director.See International Studies director.

495Senior
Colloquium (1)

Students
formally present and discuss their research findings and/or service learning
projects. Students are required to demonstrate mastery in their work and its
significance. Prerequisite: INTS 499; or appropriate research seminar in
another discipline with approval of International Studies director. Spring.

499 Undergraduate Research in
International Studies (1-6)

Independent research under the
supervision of a faculty mentor. An IP grade may be awarded at discretion of
instructor. May be repeated for a total of 6 hours credit. See International
Studies director.

171-6, 271-6, 371-6, 471-6 Special Topics in International Studies (1-6)

Courses with significant international
content that do not fall within the traditional subject matter of one academic
department but for which there may be special needs. May be repeated for credit
as often as permitted and as subject matter changes. See International Studies
director.

179, 379, 479Liberal Studies Colloquia (LS 179,
379, 479)

Colloquia offered to fulfill ILS
requirements.See Liberal Studies for course descriptions.May not be used to fulfill major or minor requirements.INST 479 may not be used by students majoring
in International Studies.

IMPACT STATEMENT:

While the impact is difficult to
gauge in advance, there have been more than a dozen students pursuing
individual degrees over the last several years who have fashioned similar
majors.It is likely that there will be
a small increase in enrollment in the listed courses.The chairs of the affected departments have
been consulted and concurred with the proposal.The Director of International Studies will secure staffing for the new
classes, generally within existing scheduling constraints.However, the AVC for
University Programs – to whom International Studies reports, and from whom it
gains support B has indicated that adjunct money may be
available for occasions when the program could benefit from local expertise,
outside the existing faculty and curriculum.Where the major might impact enrollments in various departments, the
department chairs were consulted and expressed confidence that they could
accommodate any increased demand for the affected courses with existing
resources.

We hope that the biggest impact will
be to demonstrate and reinforce UNCA=s
commitment to Adevelop students of broad perspective who
think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, and participate
actively in their [increasingly global] communities.@In light of the NC Board of Governors Ainternationalization@
initiative, UNCA=s demonstrated commitment to international
studies may also help us compete for resources the Office of the President and
Board of Governors are aggressively pursuing to support UNC=s
international programs.

RATIONALE:

UNCA’s central
mission is “to develop students of broad perspective who think critically and
creatively, communicate effectively, and participate actively in their
communities.”In a world increasingly
characterized by globalization, an international as well as a multidisciplinary
perspective represents a central component of a liberal education.In 2002-2003, the International Programs
Advisory Committee adopted a multi-phased plan to develop a major concentration
in International Studies to help fill this need.Since the UNC Board of Governors has also
designated Ainternationalization@ as one of
the UNC system=s seven strategic initiatives, this effort
is timely, as well as important.

The International Studies
concentration focuses explicitly on issues that cut across national borders and
regional lines.While the International
Programs Advisory Committee sought to incorporate area concentrations (e.g.
Latin American Studies, Asian Studies) into the International Studies
concentration, the University’s curriculum includes too few classes in most
areas to support a full selection of area studies at the present. Adding area
studies component to the International Studies major concentration remains an
important goal that we hope to realize as departments hire new faculty members
with international interests and as existing faculty gain a new appreciation
for the importance of international influences in their respective disciplines
and curriculum.

The International Studies
concentration incorporates the basic principles of Interdisciplinary studies in
three ways.First, it pulls currently
existing courses from different disciplines into a coherent course of
study.POLS 380 AGlobalization
and Its Critics@ will serve as the integrative capstone
course.Second, the concentration
incorporates IST=s commitment to the University=s emphasis
on undergraduate research by making the execution and presentation of a
research project the demonstration of a student=s
competency.Third, the INTS 361, 362,
and 365 courses are innovative efforts to make service learning and community
contact part of the student=s
experience.In addition, it is expected
that when sufficient resources become available, overseas study will be a
mandatory component of the major.